Ask why the Pain?
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So what’s your addiction?
The thing you use to forget
The thing you use to distract yourself
The thing that numbs the pain
What pain are you numbing?
Your past
Your regrets
Your future
Which feelings and thoughts overwhelm you?
What are you trying to forget?
You crave your drug
It gives you comfort
You think you need it to survive
You think you need it to feel sane
You think you need it to feel safe
When life feels out of control
Your addictions create an illusion
But you become a prisoner to your addiction
A prisoner to the pain
If you don’t acknowledge your fears and hurt
The addictions control you
The addictions become shackles
You struggle to break
We all have our addictions
The options are unlimited
What do you use to fill the void?
You should admit it sooner rather than too late.
The priorities of society
Can drive a person insane
Some addictions are rewarded,
Whilst others are shamed
You burn out to make that promotion,
Your value, attached to your achievements.
Others applaud you,
Reached another life checkpoint, they say
Onto the next one.
But why on earth would you take a blade,
And create rail tracks on your arms?
Don’t you know there are people starving?
So, learn to be stronger,
Don’t beg for attention any longer.
But what an addict needs is love
Without conditions
Someone who’ll listen
Without judgement
Someone who’ll ask
Not why the addiction,
Why the pain?
What if you healed the pain?
Instead of looking for distractions.
What if you faced your past?
And acknowledged not only what you lost
But also what you gained
You can become addicted to your sadness
You decide it’s just who you are
But you always have choices
So change the narrative
And make a new start
To admit you’re addicted
Takes courage and honesty
It’s the hardest step to take
To seek help and open up
Means starting the process
That will liberate you from your chains
The patterns of the past
Don’t have to repeat
You always have a choice
To succumb to your addictions
Or to find a new path
So bring yourself to the present
The pain of the process will be worth it
Turn off the autopilot
Make decisions that are
Yours and conscious
Acknowledge your addictions
You are not stuck in a cycle
You have people
There to love and support you
They’ll get you through
Even the roughest parts
Start the process
You won’t regret it
Acknowledge your pain
So you can move on
It will take time and patience
The process is long
But the pain of the process is worth it
If you want to be better
Live your life, happy
And how you want
The process comes with teachings
Valuable like gold
You will learn about yourself
About what makes you happy
And about what you want
To learn a new way of thinking
To learn a new way of coping
Is the hardest thing you will ever try
So step away when you need to
Rest up
Recover
Reset
Then, when you’re ready
Retry
I wanted to write about how addictions are perceived by society and the stigma attached to admitting to having an addiction. I also wanted to explore what we constitute as an addiction. There are the obvious contenders like alcohol and drugs. One heart-breaking fact is that the North East, where I live, has the highest drug-related deaths in England. Unsurprising maybe when you consider the level of poverty and inequality found in the North East. The addiction helps to numb the pain of reality.
But, the possibilities of what you can become addicted to are almost endless. We live in the age of social media- so many people are addicted to their phones. We also live at a time when mental health illnesses are on the rise. Therefore, to self soothe some people may turn to alcohol or drugs. Many people don’t seek help for their addictions because they are worried about the stigma but many more don’t even realise they are addicted.
I feel like we need greater education and awareness in society of the causes and consequences of addictions.
